Lee's toughest battle yet
by Akimoto Ren
Summary: Something I had to do after I saw ep 98. I don't know what came after that in the series. I'm just sorry I couldn't come up with a better title.


It was a nice, sunny day

It was a nice, sunny day. Lee couldn't spend days like that indoors. For the fifth time that week he was trying to sneak out of the hospital to go training. On his way however he ran into his sensei Gai and a seemingly young blonde woman he was excited to introduce.

Lady Tsunade was to become the fifth Hokage within the week and was well-known for her medical skills. She's healed Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake already, and now it was Lee's turn. However…

'Noone will hold it against you, if you give up on being a shinoby.' Lady Tsunade said coming to the realisation he can't be healed.

Both Gai sensei and Lee were shocked by this anouncment. Lee's only dream of becoming a shinoby was now broken. He took his crutch and exited the room. He didn't know where he was going, but he wanted to be alone. What was he to do? He's trained hard to become a ninja all his life. Now he had to discover it was all for nothing. All his hard work wouldn't matter. It was over and so was his life.

'I sence despair.' He said coming to a stop.

'And to think we've only been here for one day.'

'Come now, don't be so modest Kabuto. You've already tracked down Tsunade. And once we get her out of our way, the leaf village will be at our mercy.'

'Yes but now she has the support of the villagers.'

'It's them who are going to get rid of her.'

At this point Kabuto looked into the same direction his master has been staring and noticed a familiar face coming out of the hospital.

'Looks like someone just got his heart broken. By the look of his age I'd say you might've seen him on the chunin exams.'

'As a matter of fact…' he said calling his jutsu on one of his info cards. 'Rock Lee. A tai jutsu expert. You might say he tought the Uchiha kid some tricks.'

'He's our ticket to annihilate the leaf village.'

'What?'

'Some medical ninja!' Lee heard someone say.

Turning his sight to his right he noticed a pale-face guy with long, black hair in the company of someone familiar, with grey hair, glasses and a sound village headband.

'I asume she couldn't heal your wounds.' he continued.

Lee didn't answer. Hanging his head he fell deeper into depression.

'What if I told you, there's still hope for you?'

Raising his head, Lee let the guy stare into his wide eyes.

'Me and Kabuto can heal any physical injury, including yours. There's just one thing we'd ask in return…'

Lee listened carefully to every word the stranger said. He would've done everything for a second chance.

'You must put an end to this new Hokage wannabe's heartbeat.'

Lee could not believe what he has heard. To kill the Hokage? That was the price? The only way he could earn his second chance? What was this guy thinking? He must've meant it. Noone would joke about that.

'Absolutely not!' was his answer.

'Don't be so quick to decide. Kabuto!'

His partner steped forward and placed a vail into Lee's palm.

'This venom is totally unnoticable in any liquid. You can use it in anything Lady Tsunade drinks.'

'Just think! You'll get to be a shinoby after all, and as such you should have no problem in killing a woman, who I might add isn't worthy of becoming Hokage anyway. But I understand if you hesitate. Let's meat in the middle of the forest in two days from now! By then you will either have killed the Hokage or will not ever kill her.'

And with that they've disappeared.

Speaking of the forest made Lee want to go training eventhough he was never getting his left limbs back. On his way however he started hearing a familiar girl voice screaming.

'Sakura!' he realised.

He increased his speed as greatly as he could, but it didn't seem enugh. But right now he had limits. Limits which he had to surpass.

'First gate open!' he yelled.

The crutch broke in his grip as he rushed towards his training site, where he heared the screams coming from. His inafficient leg still ached as he tryed stepping on it so he took three hops on the right in between.

He was right, he did hear Sakura scream. Three high level ninjas cornered her. Chunins at very least. She stood there hopelessly as the trio drew their kunais. Before they could attack however, they've noticed Lee coming their way.

'Leaf hurricane!' Lee yelled as he jumped into the air, while the ninja closest to him took battle position. One straight kick to his side sent him flying into a tree. With that one leap the boy also swep past the second ninja right below his arm, and delivered a direct hit to his spine.

Upon attacking the first two, he failed to notice the third getting behind him. With folded fists he delivered a blow to Lee, thus increasing his pain. He lay there on the ground not being able to get up, he was forced to watch as the remaining ninja march towards Sakura taking his kunai out of his coster again.

'Sakura!' he yelled as the ninja lifted the weapon and launched it into her chest. Her blood spilt all over Lee's face. It was torment. He couldn't save her. She was dead because he couldn't fight for her. But once he whiped the blood from his eyes, he didn't see anyone around. Sakura and the trio were gone.

'Gen jutsu.' Lee realised. „They're trying to convince me by casting illusions of how weak I am… But they just might have a point. I'm incapable of protecting the ones I love. What good am I like this?" were his thoughts.

The day, the Leaf Village has been waiting for has finally arrived. The day they'd officially name the fifth Hokage. All the villagers were present at the tall building for the ceremony, watching Lady Tsunade stroll down the many stairs followed by her companion Shizune and the elders. She wore the headdress, her four predecessors have worn. Having reached ground floor she stood up on a stage to give a speech. Altho it was short and not all that boring a person gave a yawn. It was Tsunade herself, not all that excited about filling this position. Once she was done with her speech the cermony was over and everyone left to attend to their own business.

Even with his brand new crutch Lee was still slower then most people and was walking all alone when the crutch nearly slipped on an object on the ground. It was a wallet. Lee picked it up and took a look inside in hopes of figuring out who it belonged to. To his greatest surprise it belonged to Lady Tsunade.

„How did her wallet end up way over here? And what's with all these IOU's? This can't be true! She ows practically everyone."

'Will you ever cease to emase me Kabuto?' his lord asked.

'It wasn't all that difficult, getting Lady Tsunade's wallet. Normally no murderer could get so close to a talented shinoby, but the threat of theifery is harder to detect.'

'I can see the boy's lost all faith in the new Hokage. By the way, I asume yesterday's plan was just as successful?'

'Worked like a charm. Thanks to all the information the Sound Village ninjas gathered for me, I knew exactly what illusion I should cast. But do you really think this trickery can make him murder the Hokage?'

'You just don't see things the way he does. He's sure to do it.'

Another bright, sunny day. The Leaf Village needed it, so they could contunie rebuilding their home. Lee found Lady Tsunade helping rebuild the building that seemed the most run-down.

'Good morning Lady Hokage!' he greeted.

'Lady Tsunade will do kid. And this isn't such a good morning.'

'Why do you say that? After all, someone finally found your wallet.' He said handing it over to her.

'Well well! Who knew it was gone? Thanks a million but no money in the world can buy any breeze into the village. Not that this is so full to begin with.'

'I'm afraid I can't help, but maybe this will help you against the heat.' He said handing her a bottle of cool water.

'Lifesaver.' She said before taking a mouthfull of it.

'Lady Tsunade…' he began, then continued with a smile. 'There's something I have to tell you…'

Later that day Rock Lee had gone to the training site in the middle of the forest, but not later than Orochimaru and Kabuto have arrived.

'You think he's hiding?' Kabuto asked upon arriving to see noone at site.

'From us? Please. He's just yet to show. But he'll turn up, I'm sure.'

Just then they've heard glass breaking under Kabuto's sandal. Picking it up (careful, not to cut himslef) he realised it was the vail Lee already broke when he was there long ago.

'I've met with two strangers the other day.' Lee continued. 'One of them was a Sound Village shinoby. For some reason they don't like the idea of you being Hokage. As long as those two rest within the village your life's at danger.'

'Thanks for the warning. But I'm not too worried not as long as I'm surrounded with the loyal shinoby of the Leaf Village, such as you.'


End file.
